JOHN Bickerton claimed his biggest ever pay-day with runners up spot at the Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open.

The Droitwich golfer will see his bank balance boosted by £122,220 this week after finishing behind Paul Lawrie in the £1.1million tournament.

The former Open champion -- who lost out in a play-off last year after rain reduced the event to 36 holes -- carded two rounds of 70 on the final day after fog, rain and lightning on Friday again played havoc with the players.

It gave the 33-year-old Scot a 16-under total of 272 and five-shot winning margin over Bickerton -- and the perfect confidence boost for this week's USPGA Championship at Hazeltine, Minnesota.

For Bickerton, though, second place was no disgrace.

"It is up there with the best performances," he said.

"I've been working hard with my golf psychologist John Allsopp and my way of thinking this afternoon compared to this morning was much more positive.

"But I was never going to catch Paul. He was hot today and played lovely golf but it was nice to hang on at the end for second spot."

The victory enhanced Lawrie's unwanted reputation as a bad-weather golfer. His first tour win in the 1996 Open Catalonia came when the tournament was reduced to 36 holes because of high winds.

He then mastered the Shamal winds in Qatar to win over 72 holes in 1999 before his famous victory in the windswept Open at Carnoustie a few months later - and he also won the Dunhill Links Championship last year when more bad weather forced the tournament into a fifth day.

Even his win in last week's Scottish Matchplay championship was delayed by bad weather, the final moved from Deeside because of flooding to his native Aberdeen only to be delayed by fog.

"I don't see myself any better in the wind and rain than anyone else," said Lawrie, who acknowledged his course record-equalling 65 in the second round was the key to victory.

"I'd like to think I'm capable of playing in brilliant sunshine -- but I do tend to win when it's naff.

"I just plod away, and my attitude is normally very good when a lot of guys' isn't. I just hope it's bad weather at Hazeltine next week!"

The bad weather in Newport meant Lawrie was one of 18 players forced to play 36 holes yesterday after the knock-on effects of Friday's delays, the rest of the field having started their third rounds on Saturday evening.

"I'm so tired you wouldn't believe," admitted Lawrie after traipsing round the steeply undulating Wentwood Hills course which will undergo major changes before hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010.

"I'm knackered. This morning I struggled to finish, and again this afternoon was the same. Before I started working out six or eight months ago I probably would not have got round. It's stood me in good stead."

An eagle on the fifth, where he holed a lob wedge from 105 yards, and two birdies took him out in 32 and in complete control -- and after another birdie at the 10th he could afford to drop three shots in five holes coming home to card a third-round 70.

That left him five clear of the field -- and that was as close as anyone got during the final round, a hat-trick of birdies from the second removing any lingering doubt about the outcome.